There may be stubble ahead

It's the kind of news men may have to take on the chin - more than half of women use their partner's razor to shave their armpits, legs and even bikini lines. And a third of them will even lie about it to avoid a close shave in the bathroom with their loved one. For millions, covering up the truth is not a deception but simply a way to avoid a bit of domestic strife, according to the research from shaving expert Wilkinson Sword.

It found that men are more likely to tell tales on a regular basis - often to avoid embarrassment e.g. at borrowing their girlfriend’s moisturiser - but with the continued rise of male grooming products, women are also guilty of borrowing from their bloke’s bathroom cabinet.

Wilkinson Sword commissioned the research to celebrate the launch of its new high tech ‘his and hers’ Quattro Disposable razors. These first ever four bladed disposables have been introduced to champion a ‘hands off approach’ in the bathroom. A blue version has been specifically designed for men with a pink one just for women, so now there are no more excuses for pilfering your partner’s.

So how many of us Brits are willing to tell a porkie? The survey of 2,000 adults revealed that nearly half of us (40 per cent of women and 36 per cent of men) tell white lies ‘whenever we needed to’ and for several of us, this means spinning at least one tall tale on a weekly basis.

The study reveals that white lies are often told as a way of keeping the peace (such as not admitting a partner looks awful in a new outfit) but some feel it is a worrying development that so many find it so easy to avoid telling the truth.

Psychologist Geoff Beattie, of Manchester University, said: "People lie for different reasons, of course, sometimes to benefit themselves or sometimes to benefit others.

“But it seems people do both with a surprising regularity and frequency. The danger in all of this is that lies can ultimately lead to more underhand behaviour and bigger lies. The problem for most people is in knowing when to stop lying.”

And how are we supposed to know if our partner is fibbing or telling the truth? Geoff Beattie continues, “Look out for pause patterns in speech, as these can happen when people are contriving a story in their head. However some white lies are so routine that they just roll off the tongue, and can consequently be extremely difficult to detect.”